Cell Phone Safety
Tom Dewey, Principal
Anytown Elementary School
Addressing the Truth
There have been lots of rumors and
gossip lately. We want to talk
honestly today and teach students
the right way to communicate.
Cell phones are useful tools, but only
when used appropriately and with
good judgment.
Cell Phone Survey
Raise your hand if….
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You own a cell phone
You use text messaging
You’ve taken photos with a cell
phone camera
You’ve ever forwarded a message
What Did the World Do Before Cell
Phones and Texting?
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You got your stuff done on time.
Kids talked to their parents in person.
We used quarters at pay telephones.
Parents owned cameras that took
photos.
People used complete words, not
BFF, LOL, OMG, or .
Wrote personal letters and mailed them
with a licked stamp.
IM had an apostrophe (I’m).
Appropriate Uses of Cell Phones
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Calling for a ride after the game
Appropriate conversations from
home with friends you know
Keeping in touch with your family so
they know your whereabouts
Contacting authorities in an
emergency (911)
Inappropriate Uses of Cell Phones
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Texting during class/school
Taking embarrassing photos
Sending insulting, angry, or mean
messages
Cheating or lying
Bullying
Starting fights
Hurting feelings
Reminder About School Rules
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Cell phones must be turned-off and
locked in your student locker.
If you need to use a cell phone
afterschool, go to the main foyer of
the school or outside the building.
Cell phones may not be used in the
gym, locker rooms, restrooms, etc.
School Consequences
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Cell phones discovered on your
person are confiscated and only
returned to parents.
Usage of cell phones during school
day or in the building results in
afterschool detentions (or more).
Cell Phones Kept In Lockers
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Locked, put away, not visible, and
shut off.
Cell Phone Cameras Not Used
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On special days, we may announce
that you can bring a camera, but
you may NEVER use a cell phone
camera at school.
Cell Phone Texting Not Used
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Texting on cell phones shall not
occur in the school building.
General Safety Tips
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Only give your mobile number out
to people you know and can trust.
Never reply to text messages from
people you don’t know.
Make sure you know how to block
others from calling your phone.
Cell Providers Want Happy Parents!
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Children represent a huge market
for cell phone companies.
They want to help parents monitor
and control your cell phone usage,
because PARENTS pay the bill!
Call the cell phone company for help
on setting-up your phone for
maximum safety. It is in their
business interest to help you!
What Belongs on Your Cell Phone?
Just ask your parents!!!
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If you wouldn’t show it to your
parents, don’t photograph it.
If you wouldn’t text it to your
parents, don’t write it.
If you wouldn’t say it to your
parents, don’t call it.
Accept the Consequences
The things you say or do
with your cell phone
could have long-term
consequences for you.
What Goes On Your Cell Phone, Stays
on Your Cell Phone…and Everywhere!
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Don’t assume any privacy. Every time
you send a message:
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It gets stored on the cell phone company’s
computer server.
Government safety agencies may have
screened your messages (“Patriot Act”).
Your parents can access your messages from
the web site.
Deleted messages are retrievable.
What about forwarding?
Remember….Nothing is Private
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You may think your text message is
safe and private, but you can’t
control which people will forward
your message to others.
Forwarded electronic messages are
the fastest way to spread gossip
and rumors.
How many people could have
access to a text/photo?
From the Headlines
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News articles discuss teens getting prosecuted by
law enforcement for cell phone behaviors.
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OMG, teens "R" sexting: Article in Salon Magazine
What all parents should know about kids and their
mobile phones: Article in Australian Women's
Weekly
Felony charges for teens: NBC Television Report
Cell Phone 'Sexting' A Problem, Teens Say: KSAT
Television Report from Portland, Oregon
Teens are sending nude photos with cell phones:
Article from E-School News
Six Pennsylvania Teenagers Charged with Felony
Crimes: Article from MSNBC
“Sexting”
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Inappropriate cell phone usage is a major
teenage problem from ages 10-18.
The slang term “sexting” or “sex texting”
refers to a nationwide phenomenon of
children sending nude or semi-nude
photos of their private parts.
“Sexting” is illegal, even if you are just
taking and sending pictures of yourself.
Real Kids & Real Trouble
“This week, three teenage girls who allegedly sent
nude or semi-nude cell phone pictures of
themselves, and three male classmates in a
western Pennsylvania high school who received
them, are charged with child pornography.
In October a Texas eighth-grader spent the night
in a juvenile detention center after his football
coach found a nude picture on his cell phone that
a fellow student sent him.”
from CBS News on January 15, 2009
Real Kids & Real Trouble
“According to researchers at Rochester Technology of
Institute almost one-third of teens in grades 10-12 have sent
or received sexual content online and they use cell phones.
For children in grades 4-6, that number is still one in ten.
Attorneys like Dallas lawyer Clint David say the practice is
trouble waiting to happen. ’It is the height of insanity to take
a picture of yourself naked and send it to another person’,
says David. At least one teenager has landed in jail because
of his alleged actions involving ‘sexting’.
A 16-year old Pennsylvania boy was arrested and charged
with possessing child pornography after police say he coaxed
a 15-year old girl into sending him explicit pictures.”
from Fox News on December 9, 2008
Real Kids & Real Trouble
“(A 17-year-old Utah girl who received two images of male
genitalia on her cell phone told her mother, who told local
authorities. They responded by charging the alleged sender
with a third degree felony. The girl said she first thought the
photos depicted a hot dog.
The girl, whose name was withheld by the Salt Lake Tribune,
apparently did not know the man, and it’s unclear why he
sent it to her. If convicted, he could serve up to five years.
The young victim told the newspaper that she was in shock.
“I felt like I had done something wrong,” she said. “I didn’t
ever want to see that until I’m married.”
In another incident of “sexting,” a Chippewa Falls, Wis., youth
was arrested for showing off to friends nude photos of his exgirlfriend. The photos were on his cellphone.”
from http://www.minortroubles.com/?s=sexting
Real Kids & Real Trouble
“(Prosecutor David) Morse also announced Monday that
he would not file charges against the girl or any of the
students at Pinckney Community High School who
possessed or sent the nude photos. He said the
discipline doled out by the school and parents was
sufficient. School officials suspended 19 students. The
girl told police she was “clowning around” when she
took the sexually explicit photos and two videos, which
clearly show her face and vaginal area.
Morse said he is making the same decision in a sexting
case at nearby Fowlerville Junior High School, where a
14-year-old girl transmitted a photo of her naked
breasts to friends, who then distributed it widely.”
from http://www.minortroubles.com/?s=sexting
Felony Crimes
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Having nude photos of children and their
private parts is a felony crime.
In Illinois, felony crimes are punishable
by a one year prison sentence or more,
depending upon the circumstances and
the type/class of offense.
Felony convictions may prevent adults
from getting jobs that require criminal
background checks, such as police,
teaching, fire fighting, nursing, etc.
But I’m Just a Kid…..
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It doesn’t matter what age the photographer is.
Taking or possessing inappropriate photos of
children are wrong and illegal!
School officials and law enforcement can and will
investigate these behaviors.
“While teenagers may think that sending these images to their friends
or potential suitors is harmless, any image that portrays a minor in an
indecent manner or engaging in sexual activity is regarded as child
pornography and people who receive or pass on these types of images
are risking criminal charges, whether they are a minor or an adult. […]
Parents need to become more aware of what their children are doing
with their mobile phones and personal computers because what might
seem like a harmless image of themselves to be used privately can fall
into the hands of sexual predators and be posted across the internet.”
Quoted directly from “What all parents should know about kids and their
mobile phones”, Australian Women's Weekly
Why do we text or IM things that we
would never say or do in person?
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When you are not face-to-face
(F2F), the human connection is
missing.
You can’t see the visual emotions of
the person.
You can’t “take it back”.
It seems safe because you are
alone. You take more risks.
What Can Parents Do?
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“Teach children the dangers of this type
of behavior and advise them to think
before they act.
Ensure children know that they are not to
send pornographic images of themselves
to anyone either over their mobile phones
or via the internet. Even minors who have
child pornography in their possession can
be charged under the law.
Teach children about the types of sexual
predators that are out there and may
prey on them.”
Quoted directly from “What all parents should know about kids and their mobile
phones”, Australian Women's Weekly
What Can Parents Do?
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“Parents should familiarize themselves with the
new technologies that are around, so they
understand the potential for exploitation, as well
as what their kids are doing.
Parents need to overcome any embarrassment
they may feel about talking to their children about
sex, so they can be effective when educating their
kids about the dangers associated with child
pornography.
If parents are going to give their child a mobile
phone, ensure they are mature enough to use it
appropriately.”
Quoted directly from “What all parents should know about kids and their mobile
phones”, Australian Women's Weekly, July 2008
Can schools take away my cell phone?
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Yes. School officials may hold cell
phones when they have a
reasonable suspicion the phone has
been involved in inappropriate
activity that violates school rules or
the law. In some cases, they are
turned over to the police.
Can schools look in my locker?
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Yes. Students should not expect
any privacy in their school lockers.
Lockers are school district property.
School officials with reasonable
suspicion may search your locker.
Can you look in my book bag?
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Yes. 105 ILCS 5/10-22.6(e)
permits school officials to
search personal effects kept
in lockers and desks. School
officials with reasonable
suspicion may search your
book bag.
Does the school need a search
warrant?
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No. According to school code,
school officials may search students
without a warrant “when there are
reasonable grounds for suspecting
the search of a particular child will
turn up evidence the student has
violated or is violating either the law
or the rules of the school”.
Summary: Inappropriate Messages
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Do not take, receive, or forward
inappropriate photos/texts ever.
If you receive something
inappropriate, notify your parents
and law enforcement immediately!
Delete it!
Inappropriate photos could be
illegal.
Don’t Do It
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No threats
No inappropriate
photos
No foul language
No hassling
No intimidation
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No insults
No embarrassing
content
No “bad stuff”
No bullying
Keep Safe
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If you wouldn’t show it to your
parents, don’t photograph it.
If you wouldn’t text it to your
parents, don’t write it.
If you wouldn’t say it to your
parents, don’t call it.
Cell Phone Safety
Tom Dewey, Principal
Anytown Elementary School